Performing Arts Statistics

This page presents short excerpts of relevant performing-arts-related research, including some exclusive data that isn't available in published reports. For a summary of the essential information on performing art presentation, please download our Arts Presentation Facts Sheet.

Presenters in Canada

There are more than 1,400 performing arts presenting organizations in Canada. They present series or festivals or both. Annually, they present more than 80,000 performances by professional artists, and pay artistic fees estimated at more than $ 200 million.

Presenting Networks

There are 39 presenting networks in Canada. Presenting networks are national in scope or regionally-based and typically serve non-profit presenters as well as municipal presenters, festivals and university presenters. Other presenting networks are specialized in one type of presenting activity and may serve festivals or presenters specialized in disciplines, such as dance or theatre.

Breakdown of presenting networks in Canada:

26 regional multidisciplinary networks (6 of which also serve schools);

5 festival networks, 3 of which also have an additional focus (jazz music, children programming, theatre);

8 specialized networks.

Sources: Survey led by CAPACOA in April 2010 and list of presenting support organizations funded by Canadian Heritage in 2009-2010.

Public Funding of Arts Presentation

The main source of funding for presenters at the federal level is the Canada Arts Presentation Fund. The program supported 600 presenting organizations in 257 communities, with a combined attendance of over 20 million in 2011-2012.1 It delivered grants and contributions totaling 29 million dollars in 2013-2014.2 For every dollar invested by the program, an average of $8.50 is directly spent in the Canadian economy.3

Attendance and Importance of the Performing Arts

42% attended a popular musical performance such as pop, rock, jazz, blues, folk, country and western;

20% attended a symphonic or classical music performance;

15% attended a dance performance.

86% of Canadians are accessing performing arts presentations via television, Internet or other media channels. Yet, they are twice as likely to ascribe a high importance to live performing arts attendance than to any media-based consumption.

79% of Canadians say they would miss it if there were no live, professional performing arts available in their community (21% to a moderate extent and 58% to a high extent).

37% of Canadians (10.4 million) attended a cultural or artistic festival in 2010. This represents an increase of 57% since 2005. In comparison, Canada's gross domestic product grew by 18,3% over the same period.

Economic Impact of the Performing Arts

The live performance domain contributed $2.7 billion to the Canadian Gross Domestic Product in 2016.

The live performance domain accounted for 65,000 jobs in 2016.

Source: Statistics Canada, Provincial and Territorial Culture Indicators, 2016, 2018. Note: These figures are estimated using a product perspective. They include all performing arts and presenting goods and/or services across the economy regardless of the producing industry. The Culture indicators also provides figures estimated using the industry perspective, which considers all inputs and outputs in culture industries, including culture and non-culture products.

The average Canadian household spent $116 on live sporting and performing arts events in 2014. This down 8.7% from $127 in 2013, but up from $91 in 2012.

Public Benefits and Social Impacts of the Performing Arts

Nine in ten Canadians believe they get personal benefits out of attending professional performing arts. Most perceive the main benefit to be the entertainment experience of it (84%), but other benefits are recognized, such as emotional, spiritual or intellectual stimulation, an opportunity to experience something new, providing exposure to different cultures, and providing an opportunity to socialize.

2 in 3 Canadians (65%) believe that the community as whole benefits more or as much as individual attendees from the presentation of the performing arts.

Canadians believe that the presentation of performing arts brings energy and vitality to communities, improves quality of life and well-being of residents, makes communities more creative and fosters a stronger sense of pride and identity.

Adults who attend live arts performances, art museums or art galleries are far more likely than non-attendees to vote [38% more, in the case of live arts attendees], volunteer, or take part in community events.

Public Benefits of Performing Arts Facilities

Canadians believe that performing arts venues provide community-wide benefits, such as improved quality of life (87% say moderate to high importance), fostering a sense of community pride (87%), contributing to economic development (88%), and greater community safety through increased activity at night (60%).

Public Support to the Arts

Volunteers are crucial in performing arts presentation: for each paid staff member working in the field, there are 17 volunteers giving their time, thereby enabling a broad range of benefits for their community.

Canadians volunteered 107 million hours for arts and culture organizations in 2013. This is the equivalent to 56,000 full-time jobs.

Those Canadians who volunteered gave on average more time for arts and culture than any other sector in 2013 (120 hours).

Between 2004 and 2013, the number of volunteers in arts and culture organizations increased by 23%, much higher than the 7% increase in all volunteers.

One million Canadians (3%) donated $162 million to arts and culture organizations in 2013.

The total donations and the number of donors have increase at higher pace for arts and culture organization than for other not-for-profit organizations between 2007 and 2013 (respectively 46 vs. 16% and 34 vs. 6%).

70% of Canadians consider that Canada still needs specific protection policies and support from government for Canadian culture to survive.

There is a very strong relationship between attachment to Canada and assessment of its culture. Canadians who have a deep emotional attachment to Canada are more likely to believe that there is a unique Canadian culture (84% vs. 76%, n=1525). They are also more likely say that there is "something special" to it (86% vs. 74%).